Frisina Madison Drive-In
4701 Avenue O,
Fort Madison,
IA
52627
4701 Avenue O,
Fort Madison,
IA
52627
1 person
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Central States Theatres Corp, Frisina Amusement Company
Previous Names: Drive-In
Nearby Theaters
The Drive-In was opened in 1952 when it was operated by H.K. Hoglan. Car capacity was 350 cars. It was operated by Central States Theatres. By 1970 it was operated by Frisina Amusement Company and was still listed as open in the late-1970’s.
Contributed by
Chris1982
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
Approximate address 4583 Avenue O on the west side of town. You can still see the ramps. https://goo.gl/maps/3Hc4E
Highway 2 and Avenue O are one in the same.
This was The Frisina Madison Drive-In operated by Frisina Amusements by 1974 per the North Lee County Historical Society. Photo added with that name on the marquee. There was also a Frisina Drive-In in Taylorville Illinois.
A closer address is 4701 Avenue O, Fort Madison, IA.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
Today, you can barely make out the ramps on the south side of the property. The only other remnant is the edge of the entrance road as it connects to Avenue O.
https://tinyurl.com/2p9dcd9a
Both 1956 and 1957 aerial views show the theater operating in its entirety, meaning that the Madison Drive-In probably opened sometime in the early-1950s.
Sometime after May 2023, but before September 2023 the land was cleared of all the trees. It has been for sale for several years.
One mention said that the Fort Madison was built in 1952.
The Independent Film Journal, July 23, 1955: “Wide screens were installed in the Fort Madison Drive-In and the Uptown Theatre in Gladbrook.”
Boxoffice, June 3, 1963: “After losing a hard fight to daylight savings time, Herbert Hoglan has announced he will close his Fort Madison Drive-In permanently at the end of the current season. Hoglan had been successful in obtaining a temporary injunction against the city council’s fast time resolution only to have most offices and merchants go on "summer hours,” opening and closing an hour earlier without changing the clock. In later court action, District Judge W. L. Huiskamp refused to cite the council for contempt in connection with the earlier injunction."
Boxoffice, Aug. 16, 1965: “The Fort Madison Drive-In has been purchased by Dominic Frisina, president of Frisina Amusement Co., from Herbert Hoaglin, who built the airer in 1952. Frisina at once announced plans for renovating the property, the initial change to be installation of new booth equipment.”